You probably have not seen too many women driving Cadillac hearses for your local funeral home, but the trend is growing and it seems to be a nice change of pace.
As more young women are earning their degrees in mortuary science, one of the tasks they must become accustomed to is driving the hearses for grieving families. Desirae Albus, a 23-year-old student at Des Moines Area Community College is doing just that. She loves the funeral business and comforting the loved ones of departed relatives and friends. “It’s kind of a work of art, if you think about it,” she explains.
But Albus is not alone. According to an article in The Northwestern, women “are increasingly the ones who see off the dead.” However, men still comprise about 75 percent of the funeral workers in the United States. However, women are quickly gaining on that percentage. In 2007, about 60 percent of the 2,500 enrollees in mortuary science programs were women, according to the American Board of Funeral Service Education.
One reason for the change in the industry is because the funeral business is slowly becoming less of a family business. Many people entering the funeral business are doing it fresh without being exposed to it in a family-type setting.
We’ll write more about this trend in the weeks to come. Be sure to come back for more discussion!
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